by K. C. Crowne
As I cleaned, something came to mind, something that I kept in the nightstand. Opening one of the drawers, I found the small, black pistol. I let out a scoff as I regarded it, remembering that I’d bought it years ago for self-defense and never once had needed to use it. I couldn’t believe I actually owned a gun.
Muscle memory took over as I held it, and without thinking I rolled up one of the legs of my pants and strapped the holster to my ankle. Part of me wanted to take it off, but I figured I might as well bring it with me to Wyatt’s – he likely knew his way around a gun.
I cleared all the plates and bowls and such out of the cupboards. I wouldn’t need them, so I neatly placed them in one of the boxes, wrote free on the side in sharpie, and took them out to the curb. The evening was getting on, and once I’d set the box down on the curb outside of my apartment, I decided to get a good night’s sleep before leaving the next day. The sooner I left my old life behind and started my new one, the better.
My arms ached as I headed back to my apartment. As soon as I reached the top of the stairs, however, I saw Amy by my door seated in a porch chair. I stopped short when our eyes met. The color drained from my face, but Amy seemed more than happy to see me, a big, wolfish grin spreading across her pretty features.
“Jess,” she called as she stood up. “So good to see you back in town. Got a few minutes to chat?”
I started toward the door. A conversation with Amy was the last thing I wanted. “Nope,” I said. “You and I are done. Nothing else to say.”
She put her hands on her slim hips and shot me a harsh glare. “No, you’re still on the hook with me. We signed a contract, remember? It was stated in very clear terms that after my payment, you’re mine. And we’re done when I say we are.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m breaking the contract. We’re finished. I’ll give you your retainer back.”
Amy’s hand fell on mine as I put the key in the lock. She was close enough to me that I could smell the sharp florals of her undoubtedly overpriced perfume. She gripped my hand hard, hard enough to hurt.
“Let go of me,” I said as I tried to jerk my hand away from hers.
“You want to get rid of me, fine. Let’s go inside and talk about this contract. How’s that sound?”
My heart raced. There was anger in her voice, the kind that made me uncertain of just what she was capable of.
“I’m giving you a chance to talk this over,” she said. “Like two grown women. You want to tell me to screw off? Fine. But you should ask Wyatt if you want to find out how stubborn I can be when it comes to getting what I want.”
Moments passed as I tried to figure out what to do. I sighed and said, “Okay, fine. We can talk.”
“Good girl,” Amy said with a bright smile as she released her hand. “I knew you’d see reason.”
Without another word, I turned the key and opened the door. Amy followed me into the apartment, stepping into the middle of the space and glancing around.
“This is cozy,” she said, her voice a lesson in sarcasm. “I always forget that people actually live in apartments like this.”
“You wanna talk about the job?” I asked. “Or did you come here to insult me along with threatening me?”
She turned and tossed her small handbag onto the couch before placing her hands on her hips again. Amy had the confidence of a woman who was in total control of the situation, and I didn’t like it one bit. She was either desperate and hiding it, or she had some trick up her sleeve.
“You want to talk, let’s talk,” she said, gracefully sitting on the couch and crossing her legs.
I sat in the chair across from her. “Like I said, I’ve got no idea what we need to talk about.”
“There’s plenty,” she commented. “I hired you to do a job, and I expect you to finish it. I spoke with Wyatt earlier, and he so graciously informed me that he was ready to get dirty with this fight. I hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but if that’s what he wants, that’s what he’s going to get.”
I did my best to suppress a smile. Amy was no doubt the kind of woman who’d be more than happy to put a man through hell to get what she felt she deserved. But I was happy to hear Wyatt was ready to fight.
“I don’t know what this has to do with me.”
“Are you kidding?” she asked hotly. “I paid you to spy on him, and I refuse to believe you didn’t find anything at all.”
I thought about the camera. I’d put it on my desk drawer when I’d come in, planning to deal with it last. After all, it’d been the thing that’d gotten me into so much trouble with Wyatt. I could’ve left it with him, but I hadn’t wanted it there to remind him of how I’d betrayed him, how I’d lied to him. I glanced at it, remembering the last pictures that had been taken. I didn’t want Amy to see those.
I shrugged at her. “There’s nothing, Amy. And finding out there was nothing is a big part of the reason I’m putting an end to you and I working together. Wyatt’s a good man, and I took this contract because you told me something completely different.”
“Oh, please,” she scoffed, getting up and wandering into the kitchen. “Let me guess. He pulled the whole cowboy with a heart of gold shtick with you? That aw, shucks crap that makes him seem like a sweetheart who’s a little rough around the edges? That’s how he got me too, Jessica.” She opened my cupboards, looking through each. “Where are all your dishes? You got any booze in here? I’d kill for some vodka.”
Amy pulled open the cupboards above the fridge and found a couple of bottles inside. She grabbed the vodka and made herself a drink with some of the ice in the freezer, then took a long, slow sip.
“There we go,” she sighed, relief settling over her features. “That’s what I needed.”
I wanted to put the conversation back on track and hopefully get Amy out of my apartment and my life as quickly as possible. A tinge of fear ran through me as I remembered Amy didn’t know about what had been happening with Wyatt and me. She sure as hell didn’t know about the baby. And she couldn’t know.
“I spent time with Wyatt after the accident,” I confessed. “He’s a good man with a good heart. And from my point of view, you’re the one who’s making this more difficult than it has to be.”
“Wow,” she snorted. “Amazing to hear Wyatt’s words coming out of someone else’s mouth. He’s got you good and trained, doesn’t he?” She took another long, slow sip of her drink, her blue eyes locked on mine. “You’re a pretty woman.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Another pulse of fear ran through me.
She shrugged, continuing her wandering. “Just saying that Wyatt has a way with women. He can be charming, sweet when he wants to be, but he also knows how to go from hot to cold.” She glanced at me. “It’s exactly what sucked me in, thinking I’d be able to break through that rough exterior and see the man underneath.”
It wasn’t an inaccurate way of describing Wyatt. But her saying it was an act…well, that was bullshit. I’d known him long enough to understand that the good-hearted man I knew was the real deal. No one faking it would treat his animals the way he did. No one faking it would’ve been able to make his eyes light up as they had when we’d talked about the baby.
“Be that as it may,” I said, trying to sound professional. “You two clearly have a lot to work through. And I don’t feel right in the least getting in the middle of it.”
“Are you kidding?” she asked, rolling her eyes at what she must assume was my foolishness. “That’s your job, sweetheart. And that’s what I’m paying you for.”
“I’ve met you, and I’ve met Wyatt. That means I’m too involved in what’s going on between you two for me to remain professional. If it’s a matter of money, I’m happy to refund what you’ve paid me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “It’s more than money. Much, much more than money. It’s about getting what’s mine. And if you want to break this contract, I’ll be happy to get you into court right alongside of him.
” Amy tossed back the rest of the drink, glancing at my desk as she set down her glass. “Or you could give me what you have. If there’s something worth my time, maybe I’ll be a touch more amenable to cutting you loose.”
She rose and walked to the desk, snatching up the camera. My heart skipped a beat as soon as it was in her hands.
“Let’s see if you’ve got anything juicy on here,” she said, turning it on. “Maybe something that’ll really give me a leg up.”
Nausea ran through me. I knew what was on that camera: the pictures Wyatt had taken of the two of us in the barn. She didn’t realize how accurate she was with the term “leg up.” I shot up from the couch and flew over to Amy, reaching for the camera.
“Give me that!” I cried. “You can’t go through my things!”
Amy threw out her hand and grabbed my shoulder, holding me in place with a surprising strength. “You’re still under contract, Jessica. As far as I’m concerned, whatever’s on here is mine just as much as yours.”
She pressed the button to bring up the reel. My stomach sank at the exact moment the color drained out of her face. My arms dropped to my sides – there was no point in fighting. The damage had already been done.
“What the fuck is this?” she asked furiously, holding out the camera so I could see the picture on it. The shot was of me and Wyatt post-sex, me totally naked and Wyatt with his arm wrapped around me. Both of us wore the biggest smiles on our faces, total afterglow bliss.
“It’s not what it looks like,” I offered weakly, knowing it was the lamest excuse I could come up with.
“Not what it looks like?” she asked shrilly. “It’s a picture of you after fucking my goddamn husband! And you’re going to tell me it’s not what it looks like?”
“First of all, he’s your ex-husband,” I reminded her.
A strange calm fell over her, which totally freaked me out. Something was on Amy’s mind, and to say it made me ill at ease would’ve been the understatement of the century.
She flicked her eyes up at me, those blue orbs burning with hate. “You’re coming with me.” The words came out with a razor edge.
“What?” I asked, totally dumbfounded. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I said you’re coming with me.”
“Coming with you where?” I backed away slowly, not wanting to be anywhere near her.
“You’re coming to my apartment. And when you’re there, you’re going to tell me everything that happened between you and Wyatt. ”
Amy was doing her best to stay calm as she spoke, but I could easily sense the barely restrained rage in her voice. The woman seemed on the verge of a total meltdown, and I didn’t want to be anywhere near her when it happened.
“That’s not gonna happen, Amy. Wyatt is a single man, free to be with whomever he chooses. You have no say in that anymore.”
Amy sucked in several slow breaths. “If you don’t want to play nice, we’ll do it the hard way.”
“What?”
“Last chance, Jessica,” she threatened, her eyes locked onto mine.
“I’m not coming with you.”
“The hard way it is.” Amy sprang toward me. She grabbed my shoulders and shoved me to the ground. I landed with a thud, pain shooting out from my hip where I hit the floor. “You’re…coming…with…me!” Her voice cracked as she held me down. I struggled, but Amy was surprisingly strong.
“Let me go!” I tried to shove her off, her blonde hair and ice blue eyes flashing in front of me as I did.
Her hand shot down to my flailing leg, landing on the gun at my ankle. She stopped, pushing my leg down with both hands and pulling up my pant leg, revealing the gun. Amy grabbed it out of the holster and pointed it at me. I raised my hands without thinking. If it were only me, I might’ve put up more of a fight, but with the gun in play, I wasn’t risking the life of my child.
“Get up right fucking now,” she said, holding the gun with both hands. “If you don’t…”
I didn’t want to think about what she might’ve been capable of.
“Easy, Amy,” I tried to soothe. “I’ll come with you. Just don’t do anything rash.”
“Smart girl,” she said with a smirk. “Too bad it took this to get you to make the right decision. Now get up – we’re moving.”
I did as she asked. Amy moved behind me, pointing the gun at my back and staying close. We left the apartment, and I looked around for anyone who might help. But the parking lot was bare.
“My car’s down there,” she said, gesturing to an expensive, black luxury car. “Come on.”
She pushed me to the stairs and across the parking lot, eventually arriving at the car.
“Now,” she said. “Get in.” I reached for the door, but she stopped me. “Not there.” With a click of her fob, she opened the trunk. “Get in.”
“Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” she asked. “I’ll say it one more time. Get in.”
I stared at her, terrified. I walked to the trunk, opened it the rest of the way, and climbed in. Amy loomed over me as I lay inside, a small smile of satisfaction on her face.
“Get comfortable.”
She shut the trunk. As blackness enveloped me, all I could think about was Wyatt. He’d come for me. He had to. As illogical as it was, I had to hope he’d somehow know I needed him.
The man was my only hope.
Wyatt
It’d been a day, and Jess hadn’t been in touch with me since the text last night. I didn’t like it one damn bit.
Leaning against the kitchen counter, I dialed her number again. I’d left her a dozen or so voicemails since the beginning of the day, and she hadn’t responded to a single one of them. The phone rang and rang, exactly like it had before. But this time, the message at the end was different.
“The voice mailbox of the customer you’re trying to reach is full. Please try again later.”
The cold, professional voice of the recording on the other end was the exact opposite of how I felt at that moment. I wanted to rage, to throw the damn phone against the wall. Not out of anger toward Jess, but at how helpless I felt.
“No word?” Chance came into the kitchen, his clothes dirty from a day of work.
“No word.” I scowled at my phone as if it were the cause of my angst. “Startin’ to get a bad feelin’ about the whole thing.”
Chance stepped over to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup. He had his usual easy way about him, his brow knitted as he thought the matter over. I’d told him earlier about Jess leaving on her own, and he hadn’t liked the idea, same as me.
“You thinkin’ there’s some kind of trouble?” His voice was steady, his usual calm infecting it.
“Don’t know about any trouble, but Jess and I agreed to keep in touch. Now she’s dropped off the damn map.”
“She could…I dunno, be all wrapped up in gettin’ her business sorted out, y’know?”
“Maybe she is,” I agreed. “But that doesn’t mean she couldn’t send a damn text lettin’ me know she was fine.” I clenched my hands into tight fists before letting them loose. “I need to do somethin’.”
“What’re you thinkin’, bro? Drive all the way there and find her?” His expression after he spoke made it clear he’d realized that was exactly what was on my mind. “Nah, not a good idea.”
“How’s it not a good idea? As far as I’m fuckin’ concerned, she’s a missin’ person.”
“Then it’s a matter for the police,” Chance argued. “Call them and tell them what’s goin’ on. You don’t wanna storm in there lookin’ like an overbearing lug.”
I shook my head. “I’ve watched enough of them damn procedural shows to know they’re not gonna consider her missin’ until she’s been gone for forty-eight hours. Not a chance in hell I’m waiting that long.”
“Maybe they can drive by her place, check to see if somethin’s up. Worth a shot.” Chance placed his hand on my shoulder. “It�
��s gonna be alright, Wyatt. Bet you’ve got yourself worried over nothin’.”
Chance was trying to ease my mind, and I appreciated it. But my gut was telling me in no uncertain terms that something bad was going on. I sure as shit was going to find out what it was.
“Alright,” I said. “I’ll try the cops. But if they don’t do any good, I’m headin’ there myself.”
“Couldn’t imagine you doin’ anything less. Keep me in the loop, y’hear?”
“I will.”
Chance gave my shoulder one more squeeze before leaving the kitchen. Once he was gone, I pulled up the Houston police and prepared to call. Before I had a chance, a call from Amy interrupted. Frowning, I wondered what the hell could she possibly want? As far as I was concerned, the last conversation we’d had covered all that needed to be said. She was taking me to court, and I was ready to fight her every step of the way.
I could picture the smile on her face. And it wasn’t a smile I wanted to see – it was the scheming kind, the pleased-with-herself kind. After checking to make sure no one was around, I answered. “Amy. What the hell do you want?”
“Just wanted to see what you were up to.”
“What the hell’s goin’ on, Amy? Why are you callin’ me?”
“Okay,” she said, as if preparing to tell me a secret she couldn’t keep to herself any longer. “You want to know what’s going on? Let’s talk about your little girlfriend.”
My blood ran cold. “What about her?”
I imagined a heartless smile on her face. “She’s in Houston, as I’m sure you know. And she and I had a very productive little meeting.”
I was confused as all hell. “You had a meeting? Why on Earth are you two meeting?”
Amy chuckled, the sound malicious. “You still don’t get it, do you, Wyatt? Even after finding out what Jess was, what kind of work she did. You really don’t get that she was never on your side?”